Hi, DemonsGirl. I can't speak to the way things were done in 2013, since I've worked on the Entrepreneurship Award and team business plan only since the 2016 season, but in my time with the team, the character count for the online EA submission has not changed.

Your confusion may stem from there being two separate documents involved with the EA: the online submission, which asks for specific information within a character limit; and the business plan, which is a much more comprehensive document that is physically handed over to the judges in person at competitions.

The hard copy of your business plan may be as long or as short as you wish to make it, and you may format it in any way that you wish. Keep a few copies of it on hand in your pit to give to judges and other interested parties.